etrayalogs | FEBRUARY MINGLE

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FEBRUARY MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: February 14th - March
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, a mini mission, and some new city features!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

In the hospital's lobby are several party tables set out with miscellaneous baked goods: croissants, cookies, breads, cake slices, as well as tea and coffee to accompany them - or hot chocolate, for those who are opposed to the other offerings.

Outside the hospital, the last remnants of snow are melting in the sunlight as the weather begins to warm up. It's still chilly enough one might want to put on a coat, but not so cold a jacket is necessary for wandering around without freezing off one's fingers.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ heroes return ⏴

As the Quantum Rail train glides to a halt, returning passengers step out onto familiar ground - the train station, right where they had initially begun their mission. When exiting the station, their earpieces vibrate, indicating the automatic download of a detailed map which highlights key locations, transit paths, and notable landmarks. As Aurora promised, she had been working on a few renovations around Etraya! A sleek trolley system now winds through Etraya, following clearly marked pathways through the city bubble to make travel across the city smoother. However, the trolley only moves one way, eternally following the loop Aurora has set it on. And because of this, it takes six hours to complete it's loop all the way around. Don't miss your stop!

Pets and animals have been returned to their usual preferred areas, some awaiting the arrival of their owners, and others keeping to themselves in the forested areas throughout Etraya.

Beyond the small upgrades, things seem relatively unchanged - until one familiar sign catches the eye. One marked by four vertical lines, methodically crossed out one by one: the final slash has now been drawn through. The tally is complete. What it indicates has yet to be made clear, but it has to mean something, right? No one would go through the effort of making an ominous-sounding sign without following through.

⏵ love in the air ⏴

This Valentines Day, Aurora and the companion bots have opted to try something a little different: they have scattered mystery valentines across the city. Hidden within mailboxes, tucked into cafe menus, slipped under doors, on the outside of high windows for those wall-crawlers to spot. There are countless of these little slips of papers, strewn throughout the city. And within each valentine, is a challenge or gesture to complete. Please feel free to make these up yourselves as long as they fit in with the theme!

Some examples include:

Deliver a flower to a stranger.
Write a heartfelt poem for someone.
Share a box of chocolates!
Confess your feelings for another.
Play matchmaker for two people - this can be platonic, or romantic!
Gift a friend with a stuffed animal.
Give five different people a genuine compliment.

While not mandatory, completing five tasks will earn an individual an additional ten points to use towards anything they would like!

Each little Valentine is signed "Your Secret Admirer. ♡", and some of them may even be addressed to specific individuals. Don't be surprised, Eddie, if you see one or two that are specifically addressed to you lurking around your collection of chicken friends!

And while most of these are harmless, some of the valentines cards come with effects for those who come into contact with the paper. Perhaps they thought it was a piece of garbage, or were just kicking it out of the way rather than intending on taking part. It doesn't matter! They get to join in on the fun, too.

Heart Eyes - your pupils literally turn into hearts for a few hours, making it hard to focus on anything other than things (or people) you find attractive.
Love-Struck Stammer - You can only speak in poetic compliments or romantic declarations, regardless of whom you're speaking to.
Chocolate Bliss - Everything feels good. Simple. Easy. As if there's nothing in the world to concern yourself with. You feel happy, without any concerns or worry.
Rose-Tinted Vision - everything looks soft and romantic, as if you're in a romance novel. You know the ones.
Magnetic Attraction - regardless of what you had been doing, you suddenly find yourself unable to leave the side of the person closest to you. Had you been eating chocolates while walking down the street? Well, have fun getting stuck to the guy who'd been out for a jog!
Serenade Syndrome - you find it impossible to resist the urge to sing your words, turning all conversations into love ballads.
Heartstrings - A thread appears, connecting you to someone close by who you share many similarities too. Perhaps you had never met this person before, but the threads tied around your pinky fingers that refuse to let go until you allow yourself to open up to them clearly means you should be a little more familiar with them.

Love is in the air—or maybe just a bit of well-intended chaos! 💕

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome back from the mission, and welcome to Etraya for our newcomers! We've tried to keep this log simple for an easy introduction, as well as some downtime for our mission-goers who worked hard to solve the Quantum Rail mystery.

There is something else going on, but. . . well, no one seems to know what! The computer that had been on the lower floor of the hospital is now missing, and Aurora may seem a little flustered as she flits around Etraya, in search of something.

For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

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An americano.

( Black, of course. )

And a hot chocolate.

( Not for him. )

Was cleaning rooms just a gig of yours on the train? Or do you find yourself cleaning them out around here, too?

( He knows how he phrased that. It's on purpose, given what she'd told him on the train and all. )

That's all?

[ His order should be pretty fast then. Wonder what's taking the robots so long. It's too bad he's clearly in a hurry. It would be nice not to eat alone, but she'll manage. ]

Everything in this city is free, right? No real point in cleaning anything out. Unless I get really bored. I wouldn't mind breaking into some secret place of Echos I'm not supposed to be. Maybe we'll find something like that.

[ The robot readies itself to take Felicia's order so she responds. ]

I want a steak. A big one. With mashed potatoes and some kind of side. Carrots or broccoli, I don't care. I ate other people’s scraps for weeks, so don't skimp on the gravy.

[ A diner steak might not be the best, but it'll do. ]

( Hands in his pockets, he stands there and listens to her order, glancing around as she does. He’d intended to take his americano along with him and deliver the hot chocolate to his son, but. It’s not as if he’s in any rush and it doesn’t take him all that long to get back to where he needs to go with his transportation. Besides, being off that train now is something he can’t help but feel appreciative of.

A glance back to her once she’s gone and ordered what she wants, he stares in silence for a moment before he’s ducking his head some, a few strands of hair falling in front of his face as he does. )

Sure you’ll have room for dessert?

[ Felicia turns to look at him, smiling as he hides his expression. Is he teasing her? ]

I always have room for dessert, babe.

[ If he sticks around, he's going to be astonished by the power of her bottomless stomach. And since she's ordered, she should probably claim a table. Felicia inclines her head, inviting him to join her if he'd like. ]

Who's the hot chocolate for?

[ It's obviously not for him. ]

( Very much not for him.

He stands there for a moment — lazy glance off towards the handoff to see the status of his order. There's not too many people here where it would end up taking forever, but. It's also not as if they're the only ones in here. Remaining where he is, it's only after a moment that he slowly trails after her, hands gently easing into his coat pockets. )

Someone under my care.

[ Maybe the robots think Bruce could do with a bit of socializing and are making him wait on purpose. ]

Must be someone special.

[ If they've got his interest enough for him to deliver a treat to them. Felicia slides into one side of a booth. ]

Where are you from, anyway? You don't say much about yourself.

( An alternate version of a son he may or may not have back in his own Gotham definitely qualifies as special, but. He tries not to think about it too much since, well. He has a version of him for a father in his own Gotham. One older and who's been at it longer than he has thus far.

Another glance off in the direction of the handoff, he comes to take a seat across from her then, hands still in his coat pockets as he does. )

Earth. ( It's said dryly but also meant seriously at the same time. ) Unless that's too broad for you.

It's a little broad.

[ A robot arrives to set a glass of water down, and Felicia takes a straw from the table caddy and unwraps it. ]

I'm from New York. Is there a New York where you come from?

Long as I've been around.

( A glance to the robot, he throws it past to where the handoff is before he's looking back to Felica there. )

Gotham City. Ever heard of it?

[ She hasn't heard of every city in the world, of course, but if it's big enough and important enough, she's generally been there. ]

Sorry, can't say I have. And what does a guy like you do in Gotham City?

Keep to himself mostly.

( The reclusive prince of Gotham City. Where Alfred has to practically force him to even entertain company at the Tower they live in. )

What's a girl like you do in New York aside from personal shopping with a five finger discount?

[ Felicia doesn't think that's really an answer. He sure likes to keep his secrets. ]

I do whatever I want, but I live for the next heist.

[ It's her world. Her greatest joy. ]

( At that, he looks down, faint ghost of what could be considered amusement there on his lips. )

I'm sure it must be boring then here for you. What with there being little need for money or anything of monetary value in this place.

[ Just the hint of a smile out of him makes her smile. He's such a gloomy guy. She wonders about the reason for that. ]

Yeah, kind of. I mean, there can be something worth stealing that isn't worth money. Honestly, it's less about the value and more about the challenge a lot of the time. That feeling when a heist all comes together is like nothing else.

[ She regards him, watching his face for any changes in his expression. ]

Is there anything like that for you? That makes you feel alive?

( Has he really felt alive since he lost his parents? It'd been hard to, he feels. Putting on the cape and cowl — going out at night and waiting in the shadows of Gotham for someone to cross his path that shouldn't... did it make him feel alive? Not really. If anything, he felt more frustrated, more angry, more tired with each passing night. He didn't do what he did because it made him feel alive. He did it because someone had to. Even if it feels like Gotham is a lost cause more often than not. )

I'll let you know if I find it.

( Plucking a sugar packet from the table there, he rolls it over between his fingers — lazily throws his glance around. )

Just you here from your world, right?

[ As her order is delivered, Felicia dips her straw into her water glass, clinking the ice around. ]

Maybe you should take up crime.

[ She's joking. Mostly. ]

Maybe. I'm still finding out who's here. I don't think there's anyone I know, though. They probably would've noticed me by now. Have you got any other Gotham City people around?

( Oh, the look she gets for that suggestion. Even if she's teasing. )

There's a few.

( All of which are those he ends up taking under his wing at some point. Then there's the older version of himself and two who seem to be from some other version of Gotham as well. All things he's been keeping notes of, because what else would Bruce Wayne or even Batman do?

Tapping the sugar packet against the table, he glances over to where his order might be then looks back to her. )

Why take up crime? ( The Black Cat shtick, he means. ) There's better ways you could use your skills, which I'm guessing is what Echo and Aurora see to pull you in here.

[ Felicia smiles, sifting her potatoes around with a spoon. ]

You think Echo is trying to reform me? They wouldn't be the first to try. I gave the whole 'hero' thing a chance, but it's just not who I am.

[ She's the Black Cat. There's no denying it. Felicia smiles. ]

Like I said, because there's no other feeling like it in the world. Nothing compares to the thrill of the heist. When all the parts are in motion, it's like a dance.

( He can't necessarily condone the lifestyle she chooses and he tries to keep the disappointment out of his gaze there, but. It could be worse, he figures. Like so many in Gotham are. But still... if he came across her when in the costume and caught her in the middle of a job, he'd have to intervene. Because he can't just turn as blind eye to it. )

Bit of a dangerous one, don't you think?

( Falling in with the wrong crowd or even stealing from the wrong crowd. )

[ He wouldn't be the first handsome man she's disppointed with her choice. If she were different, things might have worked out with so many others. ]

I'm not afraid of danger. No matter what, I've gotta be me.

[ For awhile, she was the wrong crowd, but she's left the darker side of the underworld behind when her criminal empire fell thanks to a symbiote. ]

( A glance down, he mulls over that — wonders who he might even really be what with the double-life he barely lives as it is. )

I'm sure that gets you into trouble sometimes.

( Despite how dryly it comes off, there's a soft touch of playful teasing wrapped within it. )

[ That's the problem with double lives, in Felicia's opinion, which is why she doesn't have one.

When she senses a hint of teasing, Felicia tilts her head to the side and smiles at him, practically coy about it. ]

Do you like a bit of trouble, Bruce?

[ With her looks and lifestyle, she's probably good at bringing trouble wherever she goes. ]

I'm actually really boring.

( Dryly said. Whether or not it's a genuine admission or a playful dig at himself as Bruce Wayne, who's to say. He does, however, glance over to her after his scanning the area for his order again. Something hidden there in those blue eyes of him. Just beneath the surface, like so much of him. )

Definitely don't do singing on tabletops with condiment bottles.

That doesn't mean you don't like trouble. It's the quiet ones who are secretly wild.

[ Felicia smiles as her performance is mentioned. She made an impression, right? ]

Maybe you're the type who sings in the shower, instead. When no one is around.

( He could argue that trouble seems to find him, but. The past year or so, he's been known to go out looking for it while dressed as a bat. The shower comment, however, gets him to raise a brow ever so gently. )

There'd have to be no one around for me to do that, wouldn't there?

(no subject)

catsclaws - 2025-03-19 20:47 (UTC) - Expand

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